Korean Beef Bulgogi Tacos
Bulgogi tacos are made with bulgogi sauce infused ground beef, fluffy white rice, a colorful slaw, and kimchi mayo. This must-make dish is a mix of tangy, umami, and slightly spicy flavors with a subtle hint of sweetness.
For more taco recipes, try my blackened salmon tacos, crispy shrimp tacos, or crispy baked beef tacos.
Ingredient Notes
- Jasmine white rice
- Slaw – cabbage (any color) and shredded carrots.
- Bulgogi sauce – coconut aminos (or reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari), pear, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, toasted sesame oil, pinch of salt, and black pepper.
- Ground beef
- Green onions – both the green and white parts are cooked in the oil before the beef to add extra flavor to the meat.
- Warm tortillas – flour tortillas or corn tortillas for gluten free.
- Kimchi mayo – mayo and kimchi. That’s it!
- Garnishes – more sliced green onions or cilantro.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this bulgogi tacos recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No pear? – this also works well with apple, but choose something sweeter than a green apple.
- No brown sugar? – coconut sugar is a great substitute.
- No rice vinegar? – use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Avoid using seasoned rice vinegar as it will make it too sweet.
- No ground beef? – you can use a different kind meat such as ground chicken, ground pork. It even works with salmon, just remove the skin, break up the fillets in a skillet, pour the sauce over the top, and proceed with the recipe.
- No cabbage? – you can also use thinly sliced baby bok choy or snap peas for a similar crunch.
- Make it plant-based – use crumbled tofu.
- Add-ins – red pepper flakes, gochujang, or gochugaru for spice.
Variations
- Make it a bowl – make my beef bulgogi bowls instead.
- Turn it into Asian nachos – assemble the meat and toppings on top of tortilla chips.
- Make it a salad – serve on a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce or massaged kale.
Helpful Tips
- Make ahead. If you have an extra 15-30 minutes somewhere in your day, make the rice and kimchi mayo. These things will greatly reduce the amount of prep come dinner time.
- For extra flavor, let the ground beef marinate in the bulgogi sauce for 45 minutes covered in the fridge before cooking it.
- If you already have cooked rice in the fridge, use that instead. I generally make a big batch once each week and use it for various meals throughout the week. it’s a small time-saving hack.
More Taco Recipes
- Blackened Salmon Tacos
- Sauteed Baja Shrimp Tacos With Slaw
- Crispy Baked Beef Tacos
- Skillet Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa
Did you try these Korean bulgogi tacos? If so, please leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Korean Beef Bulgogi Tacos
Bulgogi tacos are made with bulgogi sauce infused ground beef, fluffy white rice, a colorful slaw, and kimchi mayo. This must-make dish is a mix of tangy, umami, and slightly spicy flavors with a subtle hint of sweetness.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 cup Jasmine white rice
- 1 ½ cups water
Slaw
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage any color
- 1 cup shredded carrots
Beef Bulgogi
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce/tamari
- ¼ cup grated pear skin on
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- pinch of kosher salt
- couple cracks freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 green onions white and green parts sliced
Tacos
- warm tortillas flour or corn
- kimchi mayo
- sliced green onion or cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Make rice. Rinse the jasmine white rice in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water until the water runs clear. Add the rinsed rice and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, top with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from the heat with the lid on and let rest for another minute or two before fluffing with a fork.
- Make slaw. Add the sliced cabbage and shredded carrots to a medium sized bowl. Toss to combine and set aside.
- Make bulgogi sauce. Add coconut aminos, grated pear, brown sugar, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, a pinch of kosher salt, and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper to a medium bowl.
- Add beef. Mix ground beef into the sauce. Use your hands to massage it in. This helps the meat absorb all that flavor.
- Cook. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once warm, add the sliced green onions, cooking for 1-2 minutes to soften then add in the marinaded ground beef. Cook until no pink remains, stirring occasionally to break it up.
- Assemble tacos. Add a spoonful or two of cooked rice to a warm tortilla, followed by the bulgogi beef, then slaw. Drizzle the kimchi mayo on top and garnish with sliced green onions & cilantro if desired.
Notes
See the blog post for helpful tips and a make it your way section with substitutions and variations with ideas on how to customize it.